Tangled

227 Lucas: War Is Here (H)

227 Lucas: War Is Here (II)

Knowing Ava is relatively safe, even if I have to rely on strangers to keep her that way, lifts a giant boulder of worry from my

shoulders, @

My wolf, of course, paces in the back of my mind, snapping at the air, frustrated with me. With her. With everything.

She's too far, he growls. We should be with her, not here.

The same complaints I've heard since I let her return to Blackwood. It's like a madness in my mind, the desire to rush to her side and drag her back home, damn the consequences.

The only reason he kept quiet during the Council's visit is because he didn't want any of those alphas near her. He's still upset over Clayton, though our wolves seemed to have reached some sort of truce between us.

The fact that Clayton's given way with such grace probably helps.

Alpha, there's another group of wolves moving in from the southwest. I've dispatched scouts to check on them, but I have a feeling that these are Whispering Pines wolves, not rogues. Ryder's voice intrudes on my musings, quieting my wolf for a moment.

Got it.

Frustrated, I rub my hands over my face. The Council had met one last time, to work over the logistics of moving forces and how to handle the distribution of our fighters and leaders to avoid conflict. Instead, Alpha Talon had come in with a declaration that the Council had overstepped, throwing a verbal bomb into the

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127 Lucas War is Hote (1)

middle of an already volatile situation.

With the suspicious timing of multiple rogue wolf raids on my people mere hours after he denounced the Council and said his pack would no longer be a part of tyranny, we've had no rest. It's like a leaking boat, only we can't find the damn leaks.

I shove my phone into my pocket, my jaw clenched tight, as I head for the large office where the Council has been meeting. My wolf paces restlessly in my mind, agitated by the distance from Ava and the looming threats.

As I enter the office, I'm not surprised to see Alpha Twilight Ridge already there. Her silver hair catches the light as she leans over the large map spread across the table. She looks up, greeting me with a polite nod, but I can see the exhaustion etched into the lines

of her face.

44

"Alpha Westwood," she says, her voice carrying a grim note. "A pack of scouts has been sent to the southwest, near the human

territories. A large group of wolves was spotted traveling through

the area."

Joining her at the table, I glance over the map. "My Delta'sUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

informed me. So far, no news from the Blackwood territory. It's suspiciously quiet there."

Scanning the familiar landmarks, we both trace the likely path of the newcomers, and I feel a growl building in my chest as we reach the same conclusion.

"Whispering Pines," I mutter, frustration coloring my words.

Alpha Twilight Ridge nods, her expression grave. "If they're

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confirmed to be Whispering Pines wolves, Lucas, there's no going back. This will be war. This isn't just a Council blow-up any longer"

My molars grind together, and the duplicity of Alpha Talon burns in my gut. I'd never trusted the man, but this level of betrayal is more than I ever expected out of him.

"Did you expect this?" Alpha Twilight Ridge asks, her keen eyes studying my face. "Alpha Talon's sudden about-face?"

I run a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. "No," I admit. "I never trusted him, but this is beyond what I thought him capable of. I never thought he would side with Renard over the established territories. It seems too risky of a move for someone who claims to be neutral."

She nods, her fingers tracing the border between our territories on the map. "I can't in good conscience approve a war without absolute proof that he's behind these rogue attacks, Lucas. We need to be certain."

My patience, already worn thin by days of stress and worry, snaps. "Then leave," I growl, meeting her gaze with a hard stare. "If you can't handle the blood on your hands, go. I won't wait for the Council's approval to defend my people."

The silence that follows is heavy, charged with tension. Alpha Twilight Ridge holds my gaze, neither backing down nor rising to the challenge. After a long moment, she sighs, her shoulders sagging slightly. "I apologize," she says softly. "Twilight Ridge won't abandon Westwood in your time of need. We stand with you."

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I nod, accepting her words without comment. She turns back to the map, her fingers tracing the borders between territories.

"Renard was a cancer to shifter society," she murmurs, almost to herself. "I wonder what he did to get into Alpha Talon's head. What could have swayed him so completely?"

I snort, the sound harsh in the quiet room. "Talon's neutrality was nothing more than a disguise for his greed for power. He's always wanted more, always been waiting for his chance. He just went unnoticed because Renard was always there."

Alpha Twilight Ridge looks at me, her eyes sharp. "And you think this is it? His grab for power?"

I nod, my mind racing through the possibilities. "It makes sense. With Blackwood in chaos and Westwood distracted, he probably thinks he can make a move. Expand his territory, maybe even challenge for leadership of the Council. Either that, or he's working with Renard for an even longer game."

"It's a risky gamble," she muses. "If he fails, he loses everything."

"And if he succeeds, he gains more than he's ever had," I counter. "For someone like Talon, the potential reward outweighs the risk." My wolf growls in the back of my mind, urging action, demanding we protect what's ours. It takes effort to keep him in check, to think rationally instead of charging into battle.

"What's your next move, Lucas?" Alpha Twilight Ridge asks, breaking the silence.

I trace the path from Whispering Pines to our borders, my mind working through strategies. "We wait for confirmation from the

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207 LUCAS War la Hero (10)

scouts. If it is Talon's wolves, we move to intercept them before they can breach our territory. I won't give him the advantage of striking first. But something's fishy here."

She nods, her expression grim but determined. "Twilight Ridge will stand with you. We'll mobilize our forces to support yours."

"Thank you," I say, the words feeling inadequate for the weight of her support. "But I have a feeling there's more than meets the eye."

"Blackwood? There's been no movement in the area." Alpha Twilight Ridge sets her finger dead-set in the middle of pack lands, where Ava was supposed to be. "But you're right. You would think this is where they would attack, not heading toward Westwood lands. You think it's a ploy?"

"Most likely." Rapping my fingers against the map, I think. The vampire attacks on our pack lands brought the Council together. Now that the Council's together, the alpha of Whispering Pines has defected from the Council, but only after learning of our plans. If everything was a concerted effort to distract us from Blackwood...

"Here, here, and here. These are the most likely routes to travel in stealth from the Whispering Pines territory."

"Yes, I thought of those, too." Alpha Twilight Ridge points to the east. "There are also several options here. The likelihood of catching anyone from the direction of the Unregistered City is low. And, as you said, the vampires could travel into the territory and disappear within seconds. I can't think of an effective way to defend against that kind of movement."

"You're right. There was never a word or hint of their movements, before or after the attacks." Tapping the west side of the map, I

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11. We ta thee (8)

grimace. "We need to concentrate forces here. If you can do that, I can focus on the rogues coming in. And there's always the chance of unrest within the pack lands themselves, from all the wolves who stayed without defecting from Renard's pack."

Alpha Twilight Ridge sighs. "You realize that if I bring all my forces here, it leaves my territory open for invasion?"

"I do. I'm not asking this lightly."

She shakes her head. "It's a risk for all of us. What is Alpha Silvermoon intending?"

My lips quirk. "He's conducting an unapproved survey of enemy lines." Flicking the general area of the Whispering Pines pack lands, I wink at Alpha Twilight Ridge.

"Without Council-never mind. We're beyond that now, aren't we?" Alpha Twilight Ridge shakes her head again, with a long sigh. "The only Council to fall apart in how many generations?"

"We haven't fallen apart yet."

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